Bugster: Body of a VW Beetle, Soul of a Porsche Boxster S

What do you get when you mix a 2000 Porsche Boxster S with a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle? The Bugster 9:03, a custom Porsche-powered Beetle created by Siegfried Rudolf, owner of Austrian Porsche restoration company Carmaxx Classics.After two years of chopping and welding, Rudolf and company had a complete vehicle that is road-legal and registered. The car packs the Boxster S’s 3.2-liter flat-six engine and six-speed transmission beneath the old-school bodywork. The engine scores a new exhaust and reprogrammed computer, bringing output to 270 horsepower. Because the whole Bugster weighs a scant 2416 pounds, Carmaxx says the 0-to-62-mph run takes just five seconds. Talk about a sleeper!The creators also wanted to retain the Boxster’s handling prowess, so the Bugster rides on adjustable suspension components, as well as the original Porsche steering gear, brakes, and 18-inch wheels. Even more amazing is the fact that the Bugster now boasts ABS, stability control, and airbags -- all features yet to be invented when the donor Bug was built.The resultant car is almost the inverse of the 1970s Porsche 914. That car employed a Volkswagen engine in a Porsche body and chassis, whereas the Bugster packs modern Porsche components inside an original, air-cooled Beetle.The Bugster was born when Rudolf saw a Boxster parked next to a Beetle and noticed the similarities in the cars’ overall shapes and wheelbases. Not content to build one copy, Carmaxx says it is now accepting orders for customer versions of the Bugster. For the truly brave, they’ll even swap in running gear from the Porsche 911 GT3. Yikes.Source: Bugster.at

Why did VW discontinue the Super Beetle and do a giant leap backwards to the olde style with its flat windshield and space hogging torsion leaf front suspension? The Super Beetle actually had usable space under its hood without the huge axle tubes running through it.

“They’re certainly cheaper than buying them from a dealer. It depends on how much cheaper by how motivated the vendor is, and how much interest there is in the car, but broadly between 10% and 30%. On a big car that can be a serious amount of dough.”

If I'm not mistaken, this is not just a Beetle, but the Super Beetle, which came out in I believe 1972. It had a larger front and was a bit bigger than a standard Beetle. Back then, they looked small, though, compared to the cars of the 70s. But now, they wouldn't look so small as our cars have gotten so much smaller. Though I had a Beetle, and it was cute, I don't miss its negatives....no heater/defroster being one of the biggest weaknesses.